China Youth Daily:

Medical reform is a difficult problem around the world. What measures has the NHC taken to promote in-depth medical reform? What achievements have been made? And what inspiration has been gained? Thank you.

Zhu Hongbiao:

Thank you for your care and attention to medical reform. Just as you said, medical reform is a difficult problem around the world, and in particular, it is even more difficult, arduous, and complicated for China, a major developing country with a population of more than 1.4 billion, to implement medical reform. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, in accordance with the CPC Central Committee and the State Council's top-level design on in-depth medical reform, we have focused on pilot demonstration programs, key and difficult issues, overall coordination, supervision, and evaluation. We have summarized and popularized medical reform experience in typical areas represented by Sanming city, pushed ahead with medical reform to deliver more solid outcomes, and strived to solve the problem of difficult access to medical treatment. Thanks to these efforts, we have obtained great efforts in medical reform.

First, it has become easier for people to access medical treatment. We have launched 12 national medical centers of different academic categories, 50 state-level regional medical centers, and 15,000 healthcare consortiums of various forms, channeling quality medical resources to lower levels. In 2021, the number of patients taking interprovincial medical treatment, which is related to the specialties of the first group of state-level regional medical centers, dropped by 9.3% compared with 2019. Medical treatment procedures have become more reasonable.

Second, the problem of expensive access to medical treatment has been better dealt with. All public hospitals are now required to stop profiting from higher-priced medicine and consumables, and our capacity to ensure access to basic medical resources has steadily improved. We have pressed ahead with bulk government purchases for medicines and medical consumables and put them into use. The price of seven batches of medicines from bulk government purchases dropped by over 50% on average, the price of two batches of consumables from government bulk procurement dropped by over 80% on average, and the medicine price fixed through negotiations and bargaining dropped by over 50% on average.  

Third, we have put more emphasis on health-centered reform. With the guidance of the concept of developing comprehensive health care services, we have attached greater importance to prevention during the implementation of the Healthy China initiative, and the concept of "everyone is the first person responsible for his/her health" has become more acceptable. We have strengthened the prevention and treatment of major diseases and also the health management of chronic diseases, reformed and improved the disease prevention and control system, given play to the unique strength of TCM, and developed integrated medical and elderly care services. With such efforts, China's health care has seen continuous innovation in the way it develops and in the modes we work with.

During our practice of in-depth medical reform, we have recognized that we must uphold the Party leadership, take a health-centered approach, and provide non-for-profit healthcare. We must also apply a systematic approach to promote coordination and ensure the effectiveness of all medical reform policies.

Going forward, we will develop based on China's realities and give full play to its institutional strengths, continuing to look for a Chinese solution to the global problem of medical reform. Thank you.